125 



absurdity of such work, need only look at the roots 

 of the trees cut, and see where they are cut from, 

 the roots of which are covered over with turf, w^hich 

 shows plainly the thing was no sooner done than re- 

 pented of, and the error discovered when too late. 

 Large old trees should never be cut down in any 

 conspicuous situation without due deliberation. 



No. XL. 



Young Plantation. 



This plantation, particularly the old part of it, 

 wherever there are blanks, should be filled up with 

 oak and spruce firs chiefly ; larch fir is not at all a 

 tree suited to this place, as they will not live long, 

 nor come to maturity on this soil and situation. As 

 this plantation should be reared to timber trees, to 

 stand as a w^ood or forest of trees always full and co- 

 vered with underwood in the young part of it, there 

 is by far too many Scotch firs, and in some places 

 there is nothing else j where this is the case a part 

 should be taken out, and hardwood trees put in 

 their place. Put in the hardwoods, say oak, ash, 

 elm, and plane alternately at twenty-eight feet dis- 

 tance, tree from tree, keeping a Scots or spruce fir 

 between each. As a wood or forest, at this distance, 

 they may stand to be reared up to maturity, keeping 

 the ground always full with underwood. Where the 

 firs are already begun to kill the hardwood, they 

 should be taken out, and this gradually, as advised 



in 's Glen, Young Bank, No. XXII. — There are 



a number of the hardwood plants, say beech particu- 

 larly, in the oldest part of it, that require pruning 



